Bourdais wins Indy and crowns championship defense

Newman-Haas Racing's Sebastien Bourdais took out the Lexmark Indy 300 and the 2005 Champ Car World Series championship at the Gold Coast yesterday.

Starting from the front row of the grid, the 26-year-old Frenchman had only to roll away from the start to clinch the 2005 title. Instead he survived a first lap fracas and fought off all-comers to take out the race, punctuating his 2005 title defense in no uncertain terms.

Newman-Haas Racing's # 1 driver, Bourdais led 38 of the race's 57 laps and set a new race-lap record, breaking the seven-year-old mark held by two-times Champ Car title winner, Alex Zanardi. He took the win by more than nine seconds ahead of A J Allmendinger (Intel Ford-Cosworth), who matched a career-high finish, followed by veteran Jimmy Vasser (Gulfstream Ford-Cosworth), who scored the 33rd podium of his career.

After an eventful start to the race Bourdais took first place on the 19th lap and led to the checkered flag to collect his sixth victory this season and lock up the championship with one race still remaining.

Though he battled cleanly with archrival Forsythe Racing’s, Paul Tracy, for much of the opening stanza, Bourdais’ race was very nearly was cut short before it was started! 

The new champ narrowly escaped a first-lap incident which saw his Newman-Haas teammate and polesitter, Oriol Servia (PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth), punted off by fourth-place starter Cristiano da Matta (Bell Micro Ford-Cosworth). Servia and da Matta spun off taking 2002 Surfers paradise race winner and qualifying form man Mario Dominguez  (Indeck Ford-Cosworth) with them.

The 15th running of the ChampCar event on the Gold Coast attracted an official crowd of over 105,000.

Ingall extends Supercar lead

The V8 Supercar support races at the event comprised the 11th round of the local touring car title and were fought out with equal fervour.

At the final flag it was Team Betta Electrical's Craig Lowndes that took out the round, his fourth win of the 2005 V8 Supercar season.

Lowndes victory elevated him from fifth to third in the championship chase, sitting behind fellow Ford drivers and Stone Brothers Racing teammates, Russell Ingall (Caltex Racing) and defending two-time champion, Marcos Ambrose (Pirtek Racing).

Lowndes beat home Holden drivers Supercheap Racing’s Greg Murphy and HRT’s Mark Skaife for the round win.

Championship leader Ingall brought a two-point lead into the Gold Coast round. Despite a lack-lustre weekend, he extended his lead to 66 points over Ambrose. Lowndes is 81pts adrift with two rounds to go.

Popular Melbourne-based Valvoline Commodore driver, Cameron McConville, continued his late season form and took out fourth overall at Surfers. He lies ninth in the championship points standings.